Eclipses and Transits 

Eclipses  and  transits  are  astronomical  events  where  a  celestial  body  partially  or 
totally covers another celestial object. 
 
​ olar  eclipse  happens  when  the  New  Moon  moves  between  Earth  and  the  Sun 
A  s
while a​ l​ unar eclipse​ occurs when Earth casts a shadow on the​ Full Moon​. 

If  a  planet  comes  between  Earth  and  the  Sun, and is visible as a black dot against 

the Sun, it is called a​ ​planet transit​. 

Types of Eclipses 
Two types of eclipses visible from Earth are 
a. Solar Eclipse 
b. Lunar Eclipse 
 
Solar Eclipse 
Solar eclipses can only occur during a​ New Moon​ when the Moon moves between 
Earth and the Sun and the 3 celestial bodies form a straight line: Earth–Moon–Sun. 

There are​ between 2 and 5​ solar eclipses every year. 

There are 3 kinds of solar eclipses:​ total​,​ partial​, and​ annular​.  

There is also a rare​ hybrid​ that is a combination of an annular and a total eclipse. 

 
Total Solar Eclipse: A​ total solar eclipse​ occurs when the Moon completely covers 
the Sun, as seen from Earth. Totality during such an eclipse can only be seen from 
a limited area, shaped like a narrow belt, usually about 160 km wide and 16,000 km 
long. Areas outside this track may be able to see a partial eclipse of the Sun. 

Partial Solar Eclipse: A​ partial solar eclipse​ happens when the Moon only partially 
covers the disk of the Sun. 

Annular Solar Eclipse: An​ annular solar eclipse​ occurs when the Moon appears 
smaller than the Sun as it passes centrally across the solar disk and a bright ring, 
or annulus, of sunlight remains visible during the eclipse. 

Hybrid Solar Eclipse: A​ hybrid solar eclipse​ is a rare form of solar eclipse, which 
changes from an annular to a total solar eclipse, and vice versa, along its path. 

Lunar Eclipse 
The Moon does not have its own light. It shines because its surface reflects the 
Sun's rays. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth comes between the Sun and the 
Moon and blocks the Sun's rays from directly reaching the Moon. Lunar eclipses 
only happen at​ Full Moon​. 

● There are 3 kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial, and penumbral. 

Total Lunar Eclipse: A​ total lunar eclipse​ occurs when Earth's​ umbra​ – the central, 
dark part of its shadow – obscures all of the Moon's surface. 

Partial Lunar Eclipse: A​ partial lunar eclipse​ can be observed when only part of 
the Moon's surface is obscured by Earth’s umbra. 

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: A penumbral​ lunar eclipse​ happens when the Moon 
travels through the faint penumbral portion of Earth’s shadow. 
 
Planet Transits: 
When a planet comes between Earth and the Sun, it is called a transit. The only 2 
planets that can be seen transiting the Sun from Earth are Venus and​ Mercury 
because they are the only planets which orbit inside Earth's orbit. 

From 2000–2199, there will be 14 transits of Mercury. However,​ Venus transits​ are 
even rarer with only 2 this century, in​ 2004​ and​ 2012​.